Chorizo, Squash, Black Beans Over Spelt Berries— A Mexican inspired dinner! With a side of Apple Jicama Slaw!

My CSA bag has been wonderful lately, such great variety.......leeks, butternut and acorn squashes, sweet potatoes, apples, apple cider (apples & cider from Hircshs fruit farm near Chillicothe for my hometown friends!), onions, beets! YUM! So this past week we received spelt berries! Which, my kids really like! We had these earlier in the season and it was the first time I had cooked them and surprisingly, they were a big hit! You should really find these and give them a try if you have never had them...and here is a wonderful recipe that was inspired by my dear friend Janet Menges (who lives in Circleville), she posted on my last blog link with the basics.  So here is my version and the amounts that I used.

Chorizo, Squash, Black Beans Over Spelt Berries

For the Spelt Berries (if you can't find spelt, brown rice, bulgar wheat, or quinoa would be a good substitute):
2 Cups of spelt berries
4 C of chicken broth, heated
1/2 C of white wine
4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
Olive Oil

For the Main Dish:
1 lb Chorizo Sausage (bulk or links, but remove the casings...this is easy, just make a slit long ways on the sausage and peal off the casing)
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
1 poblano pepper, sliced in thin strips
1 can of black beans, rinsed and drained well
2 Tbsp maple syrup
1 Tbsp cinnamon
Olive Oil
Optional: Cilantro or Sour Cream to Garnish

First, in a saucepan add a few Tbsp of olive oil and add garlic, saute until fragrant, just about a minute, add the spelt berries and toast for a few minutes, then add the white wine and saute until mostly absorbed, add the chicken broth bring to a rolling boil, lower but keep a boil and cover. Cook for approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour, to your preference of softness, stirring occasionally. We prefer it al dente–with some bite left in it.

While the spelt is cooking, place the diced sweet potatoes in a glass dish with about 1/2 C of water and cook in the microwave until fork tender.  Remove from the microwave, add the maple syrup and cinnamon, cover and set aside while the spelt is cooking.

In a large saute pan, cook the sausage, then drain on paper towels. Add another Tbsp of olive oil if needed to saute the poblano peppers until softened, remove to a large bowl, add the drained beans, the sausage and sweet potatoes and toss gently to combine.

Place about 1/2 to 1 C of the spelt on a plate and top with sausage and sweet potato mixture. Garnish if desired.

With the apples we received I was craving a dish I used to make often, and it was the perfect match for the spelt dish! Cool and crunchy and the vinegar was just right to cut the richness of the sausage and sweet potatoes! 

Apple Jicama Slaw

Dressing: 

4 Tbsp honey

3 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

Salad:

2 C of savoy or Napa cabbage shredded (green cabbage)

2 C of grated or thinly sliced jicama

3 apples grated (leave the skins on) or finely chopped
4 green onions (white and green tops) finely chopped

1 C dried cranberries

1 C toasted walnuts, chopped

Optional: Blue cheese to garnish

In a small bowl whisk the dressing ingredients together and set aside. Prep the salad ingredients and toss to combine. Add dressing and toss until combined. 

I certainly hope you try this and enjoy it!